Dolphins sign Penn State LB Mike Hull and other undrafted free agents

Here’s a list of players who are signing with the Dolphins according to various reports, including the players’ agents, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson and Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez.

The Dolphins didn’t draft any linebackers but will give a shot to some top undrafted players.

Outside linebacker Mike Hull is the star of the class. He was projected by CBS Sports as a fourth round pick but fell out of the draft.

Mike Hull (Getty Images)

Mike Hull, OLB, Penn State, 6-foot, 237 pounds

CBS Sports scouting report

STRENGTHS: Balanced movements to break down on the move and stay under control with no wasted steps. Arrives with pop and doesn’t shy from contact, attacking the teeth of an offense with his physical demeanor (high school wrestler). Takes on blocks well and puts himself in position to make plays, working off contact and swarming to the ball. Aggressive angles and understands the quickest route to his target. Highly active, making it tough to eliminate him from plays. Quick to diagnose and read/react, trusting his instincts and vision. Reads his keys and gets defenders into position pre-snap. Nice job in the open field to make stops. Hard-nosed and intense, never avoiding contact. Shows anticipation skills in coverage with ballskills to make plays. Emotional leader and a football lifer, living for the game with a contagious passion. Above average on-field production as a starter and defensive team MVP in 2014. Football bloodlines – his father (John) was a linebacker at Penn State (1971-73) and was selected in the 1974 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

WEAKNESSES: Lacks ideal size/strength for the NFL and can be overwhelmed by blockers in the open field and at the line of scrimmage. Shorter than ideal arms, causing him to slide off tacklers. Not a twitchy mover and shows some body stiffness. Only average athleticism and lacks multiple gears. Caught flat-footed in space and will bite on fakes, vacating the middle of the field. Will play too fast at times and overrun some angles. Shed technique needs refined and sometimes unnecessarily attacks blocks. Durability concerns after missing two games and parts of others with a knee injury (Sept. 2013) – also had a knee scope Jan. 2015 that sidelined him for the Senior Bowl.

–Dane Brugler

PLAYER OVERVIEW

The next product of “Linebacker U,” Hull emerged as the MVP of the Penn State defense the past two seasons, playing inside and outside. He has excellent diagnose skills to break down the action and attack in the blink of an eye and is the type of player that the ballcarrier seems to find every snap. Hull’s average size/speed/strength traits make his NFL transition tough to project, but he has the football smarts and instinctive talent to stick, fitting best as a WILL or MIKE linebacker and special teams ace.

Hull received attention from Michigan, Ohio State and other prominent programs, but there was little doubt he was headed to Penn State where his father starred in the ’70s. After redshirting in 2010 and playing special teams in 2011, he saw more of the field as a sophomore in 2012, filling in for an injured Michael Mauti and posting 58 tackles and 5.0 tackles for loss. Despite battling a knee injury, Hull moved into a full-time starting role at outside linebacker in 2013, finishing with 78 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sack. He moved to middle linebacker in 2014 as a senior and started every game, recording a team-best 140 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, earning First Team All-Big Ten honors.

Zach Vigil, ILB, Utah State, 6-2, 236

CBS Sports scouting report

STRENGTHS: Impressive production and tackling machine with a motor that?s always revving. Always alert and keeps his head on a swivel, anticipating fakes and chasing down ballcarriers from behind. Upper body strength to play with violence, aggressively stack/shed blocks and strike through his target on tackle attempts. Intense competitor with the leadership intangibles that coaches covet on and off the field.

WEAKNESSES: Plays with some tightness and needs a moment to collect himself when changing directions, lacking ideal suddenness. Needs to better use his hands to sift through the trash, losing leverage and getting hung up in a crowd. More of a one-speed athlete and lacks ideal burst to close and can get lost in coverage. Instinctive, but guesses wrong at times and lacks the recovery quickness to make up for lost steps.

–Dane Brugler

PLAYER OVERVIEW

A three-year starter, Vigil earned All-Conference honors each of those seasons, finishing among the team leaders in total tackles with 100+ stops each year.
He had a career-year as a senior in 2014 with 156 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks, all numbers that led the team. Vigil has an outstanding resume and although he isn?t off-the-charts athletically, he might be able to get away with it due to his terrific instincts and try-hard competitive nature.

Jeff Luc, ILB, 6-0, 251:

STRENGTHS: Built like a Sherman tank with a compact, heavily-muscled frame that stood out even amongst the best-built players at the Senior Bowl. Quick to read run, attacking would-be blockers with a physical pop to disengage and make plays in the hole. Physical enough to potentially play inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. Possesses 32″ arms, which help him keep blockers from latching onto him. Shows some lateral quickness and flexibility to slip by blockers, surprising opponents gearing up for collisions. Has a short area burst to close, exploding into ball-carriers with enough force to knock the ball free (six forced fumbles in 2014) and shows excellent strength and hand-eye coordination to rip the ball free. Improved awareness in coverage in 2014. Took his game to another level as a senior, providing evidence that his best football may still be ahead of him.

WEAKNESSES: Strictly a two-down run-stuffer at the next level. Possesses less-than-ideal fluidity and straight-line speed for coverage responsibilities, perhaps in part because of his muscle-bound frame, which leaves him a stiff and lacking change of direction skills. Lacks the preferred speed to the perimeter and is too often beaten to the edge by backs. Only one season of impressive production at the collegiate level.

–Rob Rang

PLAYER OVERVIEW

Graded by recruiting experts as the top inside linebacker prospect in 2010, Luc (pronounced LUKE) was recruited by virtually every school in the country, ultimately signing with Florida State. Luc saw action in eight games as a true freshman but felt that he wasn’t getting enough of an opportunity for extended playing time after his sophomore season and ultimately transferred to Cincinnati, leaving the Seminoles with 23 tackles, including three tackles for loss in 19 career games.
After sitting out the mandatory transfer year in 2012, Luc initially struggled to make a significant impact with the Bearcats, recording “just” 43 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss while playing in all 13 games. The light went on for Luc a year later, however, as he exploded for 134 stops, including 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks to cap his collegiate career, earning an invitation to the 2015 Senior Bowl.

Sporting a heavily-muscled frame, Luc might be the most imposing inside linebacker in the country. His powerful build and aggressive nature make him an ideal run-stuffing presence in the middle. Scouts worry that Luc lacks the lateral agility and speed, however, to handle coverage duties, making him strictly a two-down defender in the NFL and a likely Day Three selection.

Neville Hewitt, OLB, Marshall, 6-1, 231

CBS Sports scouting report:

Strengths/Weaknesses: He had off-season surgery (Feb. 2014) to fix a herniated disc and pinched nerve, but he didn’t miss any games – accustomed to working through adversity (mother currently in prison for drug trafficking). Hewitt, who is best friends with Clemson’s Grady Jarrett, is physical and takes on bocks aggressively to hold up vs. the run despite his lack of ideal size and strength. He has natural instincts and the read/react quickness to sidestep bodies and arrive at the ballcarrier to make stops – rarely came off the field and is flying under the radar as a NFL prospect.
–Dane Brugler

Mickey Baucus, Arizona OT, 6-6, 298

CBS Sports scouting report

STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Baucus boasts an intriguing build with great height and long arms. He possesses enough initial quickness to handle most of the conference’s speed rushers due to a smooth kick-slide and his length allows him to catch defenders that his feet can’t keep up with.
Where Baucus struggles is with leverage and balance. Baucus’ top-heavy high-cut frame makes him susceptible to counter moves and too often he’s forced to lunge at defenders, as a result.

Scouts will appreciate Baucus’ size and durability, but if he’s going to be the first Arizona offensive lineman drafted since Eben Britton in 2009, Baucus may want to explore playing right tackle or even moving inside to guard at a senior all-star game, as this is where he projects best against NFL speed.

–Rob Rang (6/13/14)

PLAYER OVERVIEW

After redshirting in 2010, Baucus has started 38 games at the all-important left tackle position, helping protect the likes of future NFL players Nick Foles, Matt Scott and KaDeem Carey. The former prep basketball player is one of four returning starters up front for Arizona, a unit which has ranked among the conference’s best in recent years.
Aiding Baucus and the rest of the Wildcats’ offensive line is coach Rich Rodriguez’s scheme, which spreads out defenses and generally gets the ball out quickly.

PLAYER OVERVIEW

A three-star safety recruit out of high school, Hewitt received attention from SEC schools, including an offer from South Carolina, but he failed to qualify and enrolled at Georgia Military College for two seasons where he learned structure. Hewitt transferred to Marshall for his final two seasons of eligibility where he started 26 games and totaled 208 tackles, earning 2014 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Christion Jones, WR, Alabama, 5-10, 182

CBS Sports profile

A preseason All-American who starts at wide receiver, kickoff returner and punt returner … has 19 catches for 264 yards while averaging 13.9 yards per catch … has eight explosive receptions of 16 yards or more and 14 first-down catches … has returned 30 kickoffs for 749 yards for a 25.0 yards per kick average that ranks third the SEC and 29th nationally …. has 17 punt returns for 142 yards (8.4 ypr) with a long of 47 yards … has five tackles on the season … named a Special Teams Player of the Week following the Auburn game.

Other undrafted players:

Matt Darr, P, Tennesse, 6-0, 216

Andrew Franks, K, RPI, 6-1, 205

Kendall Montgomery, DE, Bowling Green, 6-6, 269

Damarr Aultman, WR, Maine, 5-11, 202

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[…] STRENGTHS: Balanced movements to break down on the move and stay under control with no wasted steps. Arrives with pop and doesn’t shy from contact, attacking the teeth of an offense with his physical demeanor (high school wrestler). Takes on blocks well and puts himself in position to make plays, working off contact and swarming to the ball. Aggressive angles and understands the quickest route to his target. Highly active, making it tough to eliminate him from plays. Quick to diagnose and read/react, trusting his instincts and vision. Reads his keys and gets defenders into position pre-snap. Nice job in the open field to make stops. Hard-nosed and intense, never …read more […]